Comfort Food
by missy52061
Summary: Their 16 year old daughter is dumped by her boyfriend. How the family comforts her – her mom, her dad, her big brother, her big sister. As always, I don't own Castle, I just wish I did.
1. Chapter 1

Rick and Kate Castle were sitting in the living room of their brownstone, watching an episode of Nebula Nine, when they heard a key in the lock of the front door. Hannah, their 16 year old daughter, was out on a date, but on weekends her curfew was midnight, and it was only 9 PM. Kate looked up as the door opened, Hannah's tear streaked face appeared, and she slammed the door. Oh no, Kate thought, this does not look good. Hannah and her boyfriend Mark had been having some issues lately, and that face looked like a break up face. The question was who dumped whom? She put a hand on Rick's chest, holding him back. Hannah did not need her dad's sense of humor and/or honor right now.

"Hannah?" Kate asked. "Is everything okay?"

"No!" Hannah answered. "Mark just dumped me! And I do NOT want to talk about it! I am going to my room," she said as she ran past her parents.

Rick made a move to get up. "No, babe, let her be. She needs some time alone. Trust me, I know," Kate said. Rick looked at Kate for a moment and sat back down. He went back to watching the episode with an unhappy look on his face. He hated for any of the kids to be sad; heck if Alexis had a fight with her husband, he wanted to go do something to Mike. No, the best thing for Hannah would be to let her cry a bit, and then Kate would go check on her. She turned to Rick and told him her plans. He still wasn't happy but he let it go.

After an hour had passed, Kate went upstairs with some supplies in hand. She gently knocked on Hannah's door. "Hannah, can I come in? It's just me."

"Okay, mom," came Hannah's scratchy voice. Kate was not surprised to see Hannah's tear streaked face or red eyes. She turned a rueful face to her mother when she saw the supplies – a supersized box of tissues, a big bottle of root beer, some chocolate ice cream, two spoons, two straws and two glasses. "Root beer floats? In my bedroom? Mother, I am shocked!" as a small grin appeared on her face.

"Well, what are rules except things to be broken? Even if the 'no messy food in your room' rule is mine. First rule of breakups is sugar makes everything better," Kate said as she put the supplies on the desk. She quickly spooned some ice cream into the glasses and then poured the root beer over it. She handed one to Hannah and took one for herself. "Do you want to talk about it? Or do you just want to drink your float and cry? Whatever you want, baby," Kate curbed her mama bear. She wanted to hurt Mark for hurting her baby.

"I want to talk a little, Mama," Hannah said. Kate's heart clinched a bit. Hannah hadn't called her "Mama" in years. "I knew Mark and I weren't getting along lately, but I really thought we could work it out. But he didn't want to deal with it. He just wanted to break up, end of story," Hannah said as a few tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes. Kate mopped up the tears with the tissue.

And with that, Hannah just started talking. Kate listened, comforted, nodded, and said all the right things to her little girl. When Hannah was talked and cried out, Kate gave her a big hug, wiped the last of the tears, and tucked her daughter in bed. She watched her sleep for a bit, then gathered up the supplies and went downstairs. The next few days would be hard, Kate knew. Being a teenager was tough, and being the parent of one was even tougher. She hurt when her kids hurt. But the love she felt for them was overwhelming, too. She'd do it all again in a heartbeat.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Magical Mac and Cheese

The next day, Rick was sitting at the kitchen table, finishing his lunch. Hannah had barely left her bedroom. Kate told him to leave her alone; she'd need time before facing everyone. As he was thinking up ways to get that little weasel back (he'd never liked that kid at all), the front door opened and a loud voice cried out, "Is anyone home? It is I, James Richard Castle, and I am here to make everyone's life better!" Rick grinned in spite of himself. Jamie may want to be a lawyer like his grandpa Jim, but when it came to making entrances, the fact that he was Martha Rodgers' grandson was obvious.

"I'm in the kitchen, oh son of mine!" he replied. A minute later, the grinning face of his son appeared. "Here for food or laundry?" he asked Jamie as he jumped up to hug his oldest son.

"A little of both. You know my usual Saturday deal, Dad," said Jamie. "Hey, where's Mom? Hannah? Alex? Or did they forget that it's not wise to leave you home alone?" he grinned a very Rick Castle grin at that.

"Ha ha. Your mom and Alex are at his basketball game; and Hannah's up in her room. Hannah's having a rough day. Mark broke up with her last night." Rick replied.

"Oh, that sucks. I had a feeling things weren't going well, but Hannah doesn't always share that stuff with me," Jamie said. "Poor kid." As he was talking to his dad, he was looking in the refrigerator. This was his Saturday ritual; come home from the dorm at Columbia, throw his laundry in the nice (free!) machine here, raid the refrigerator, hang with his family, then back to the dorm to study or party. "Hey! Is this mac and cheese? Mom's mac and cheese?" He dad shook his head "yes". Since he was a little boy, there wasn't anything he loved more than his mom's homemade mac and cheese. It was a recipe handed down in her family, and it was fantastic. Always cheered him up when he wasn't feeling great. He put some on a plate, popped it in the microwave, and grabbed some silverware from the drawer. He had an idea; maybe he could use those magical powers. "I'm going up to talk to Hannah," he told his dad. And then he left the kitchen with the plate and silverware in hand.

He knocked on Hannah's door. "Hey squirt, it's me, your favorite older brother," Jamie said. "And I've got magic on a plate!"

Hannah opened the door. She still had her pj's on, her hair was in a ponytail, and her eyes were red. Jamie grinned at her, holding out the plate of mac and cheese. "I guess dad told you the news, huh?" she said.

"Yeah, he did. I'm sorry squirt, I know it sucks. But look, mom's mac and cheese! Guaranteed to make you feel better in minutes!" he said as he walked in the room. Just like his mother had the night before, he put the plate of food on her desk.

"Boy, first mom and then you, bringing food up to my bedroom. Dad's influence shining through!" she smiled a little. "But I think you're right, I could use that mac and cheese," as her big brother handed her a fork. "And by the way, it's not like you have any competition for the position of favorite older brother – you're my only older brother! And what's with calling me squirt – you know I hate that!" But she couldn't help but smile. Jamie might tease her, might call her silly names, but when anyone hurt her, he always stepped in to defend her. He really was her favorite older brother. They shared the plate of mac and cheese while Jamie shared stories of his week at school and made her smile. The magical powers of Mom's mac and cheese and the love of a big brother can really help a girl out, Hannah thought.


	3. Chapter 3 - Dad and Pancakes

**A/N: For those who wanted Castle to say and do something, here you go!**

Sunday morning found Rick Castle first one awake in their household. That was unusual, but he decided to take advantage of it. His baby girl was hurting, and he had just the thing to make her feel better – strawberry happy face pancakes. Well, if he was honest, he would admit to thinking of a smorelette first, but Hannah did not like them. So strawberry happy face pancakes it would be. As he prepared pancake batter and cut up strawberries, he reflected on the last few days' events. Hannah's boyfriend had broken up with her on Friday night. Hannah had told him and Kate the news, and went straight to her room. Kate had comforted her with some sugar therapy. Yesterday, her big brother Jamie had dropped by and shared some of Kate's mac and cheese with his little sister.

Rick had been relieved when Hannah joined the family for dinner, showered and quiet. She didn't eat much dinner, but she had congratulated her little brother Alex when Kate told them he had made a few baskets and played great defense in his basketball game. Jamie and the magical mac and cheese had done wonders for Hannah, but Rick could see the pain under her small smile. Now it was his turn to provide comfort food. He turned when he heard footsteps on the stairs. The young lady in question was coming downstairs.

"Good morning, sweet pea," he said. "Strawberry happy face pancakes sound good?"

"Oh yes, daddy, that sounds perfect," said Hannah. Now Rick's heart broke a little. Hannah hadn't called him daddy in a long time.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart? If you want me to, I can call Uncle Javi and have him scare Mark a little," Rick said. Hannah shook her head "no" and then she looked at him with Kate's hazel eyes, and all he wanted to do was hug his baby girl until she felt one hundred percent better.

And then a grown up question came out of her lips, "is the coffee ready?"

Yes, Hannah Rose Castle was Kate Beckett's daughter in more ways than one. She was smart, caring, loving and oh so capable of taking care of herself. She had her mother's hair, eyes and megawatt smile. And she also shared her mother's love of caffeine. It had started as a way for Hannah to feel special. Kate would make her a "coffee" every morning – it was really 99 percent milk with a splash of coffee, but it meant the world to Hannah. It meant she was just like mommy. As she got older, the percentage of coffee increased, and now she had a real cup of coffee every morning.

"Of course the coffee's ready," Rick said with a dramatic flourish. "Have you ever known me to not make coffee first thing in the morning? I am hurt daughter, you wound me." Rick knew his mother would make some sort of joke about the quality of his acting, but all his drama got a giggle from his little girl. And right now, that felt like he had just won a Pulitzer. Then when he placed the plate of warm, sweet pancakes in front of her, and then a few minutes later, he handed her a coffee with a foam heart, he got a great big smile and a "thanks, daddy" from her. He hoped the comfort of pancakes would make his daughter's heart feel a little better. Because watching her dig in to the breakfast with enthusiasm made his heart feel warm and happy. And it made him happy to know he could make her feel better by feeding her with love.

But he still wanted to get even with Mark the Weasel. Give him time, he'd come up with something!


	4. Chapter 4 - Sister and Shakes

**A/N: Here we go, last chapter/family member! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. I'd really like to thank all the kind guest reviewers. All the kind words are appreciated, and really are so encouraging. **

By Monday morning, the news of Hannah's break-up had reached all of the family. Alexis Castle Bowman decided that some retail therapy and a sister's lunch was a great way to cure whatever ailed her sister. The kids were off from school today, so she'd call her dad first; he'd love to hang out with Katie and Joe. Then she'd call Hannah and see if she wanted to go out.

As she suspected, her dad was very happy to spend a few hours with his grandchildren. Alex was only six months older than Katie, so they were more like cousins than uncle and niece, and Joe was two years younger. Her dad had big plans for the day that included a movie marathon. He told her that Hannah seemed to be feeling a bit better, but he bet she'd love some retail therapy.

After hanging up, Alexis quickly called Hannah, who answered almost immediately. "Hi Alexis! How are you?" Hannah's voice sounded normal.

"I'm good. But the question is how are you? I heard the news," Alexis replied. After she got a quiet "okay" as her answer, she asked her sister, "How about some retail therapy? And then a little lunch at Remy's? It feels like forever since it's just been us girls," Alexis said.

"Just us girls? Don't the kids have off from school today?" answered Hannah.

"Ah, that is why I will pick you up. I will be dropping my children off to spend the day with their grandpa, grandma and their Uncle Alex," Alexis's smile came through the phone. She loved her children dearly, but she also loved when they spent time with other people.

"Well, in that case, shopping, here we come!" Hannah said.

The ladies agreed to meet as soon as possible. Alexis ended the call, and went to round up her kids and they were soon on their way. Joe wanted to knock on the door; he and Grandpa had a special knock. A minute later, the door was opened and there was Rick Castle.

"Daughter! Granddaughter! Grandson! How are you on this lovely day?" He kissed cheeks as his grandchildren giggled. Alexis herded them inside, as Hannah came running down the stairs.

"Hey guys," she said as she hugged and kissed her niece and nephew. "Have fun watching movies," as she went to the closet and grabbed her red leather jacket. "Hey, dad, can I have the credit card? We're going shopping!" Rick pretended to be pained at that, but he handed it over. As they had been talking, Kate came to the front hallway.

"Well, hi kids! Alex is in the living room, waiting to see what movies you want to watch," Kate said. As she was talking to the kids, Hannah and Alexis waited to say good bye. Soon, the two ladies were boarding the subway for their shopping trip.

They hit up several boutiques, trying on clothes but nothing seemed right. They did better at their favorite shoe store, each buying a pair of boots. Alexis teased her little sister about being her mother's daughter, but Hannah just shrugged her shoulders. They decided they'd had enough retail therapy, and headed off to Remy's. They sat across from each other in the booth. Remy's was special to the Castle family; it was where they went any time they wanted to feel good. Alexis looked at her sister; she seemed to be okay, but she asked her anyway. Hannah told her about her mom's sugar therapy, Jamie's magical mac and cheese, and Dad's strawberry happy face pancakes.

"Alexis, I'm still a bit sad and mad that Mark broke up with me. I thought we could work it out, but he didn't want to try," she sniffled a bit as she added that last.

"Oh, sweetie, I know. I've been there. I know it's not fun, and it hurts. Give yourself some time to grieve. And I know it sounds like a cliché, but it will get better. There really are other guys out there. I remember when I broke up with my first serious boyfriend; I thought I'd never be happy again. It took a few more years, but I did find a great guy, and married him. It'll happen for you too, Hannah," Alexis looked at her sister. "And now I think we need great big shakes to wash down all this food. What do you say, sis?"

Hannah grinned at her sister and nodded. Alexis always knew what made her happy. Hannah's friends always complained about their big sisters, but she was lucky, Alexis was awesome. Maybe they got along so well because they never fought over clothes or boys or stuff, but when Hannah needed advice or a hug, she could count on her big sister. Yeah, breaking up with Mark sucked, but right now, she felt okay. A weekend of comfort food and love from her family did wonders.


End file.
